The present invention relates to a vehicle headlight having predetermined light projecting characteristics.
A headlight is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,226 which comprises a lights source and a reflector for reflecting emitted light from the light source as a convergent light beam. A lens is disposed in the light beam path and the light beam passes through the lens. A plate is disposed outward of the lens in the light beam travel direction and the plate includes a coating which is partially light transparent and partially light reflecting. The coating permits the light beam to pass therethrough; however, some of the light outside of the headlight which falls on the headlight is reflected by the coating. The plate extends over the path of such incoming outside light as well as the entire extent of the cross section of the light beam. In the "off" condition of the headlight, the headlight exhibits an integrated illumination image as the outside light is reflected outward by the coated plate. In the "on" condition of the headlight, not only the lens appears to be illuminated but the entire light passage aperture of the headlight appears to be illuminated due to the partially light transparent coated plate. A deflecting plate is disposed relative to the lens to deflect through total reflection, during the "on" position of the headlight, a portion of the light passing through the lens so that this deflected light passes through the plate. This deflecting plate requires a relatively large installation effort and thus increases the production cost of the headlight. Also, the partially reflecting property of the coated plate reduces the intensity of the light which ultimately exits through the lens.